Search for spotted lanternfly widens to Lehigh County

The state Department of Environmental Protection has widened its search area for the spotted laternfly to Lehigh and Montgomery counties. Pictured here is an adult spotted lantern.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has widened its search area for the spotted laternfly to Lehigh and Montgomery counties. Pictured here is an adult spotted lantern. (HOLLY RAGUZA, PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE)

Kayla DwyerOf The Morning Call

PA widens search for spotted lanternfly to Lehigh County

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has issued a BOLO — be on the lookout — for the spotted lanternfly in Lehigh and Montgomery counties.

The Agriculture Department, in a news release Monday, said the invasive pest has not been spotted in the counties, but said surveillance teams are looking as a precautionary measure.

The department also wants the public's help in bringing the destructive insect under control.

So far the species, also known as Lycorma delicatula, has been contained to Berks County, where nearly 100,000 of the pests have been exterminated since their first U.S. discovery there last fall.

A quarantine has been in effect in Bally and Bechtelsville boroughs and District, Earl, Hereford, Pike, Rockland and Washington townships in Berks. The borders of Lehigh and Montgomery are less than a mile from the quarantined areas.

The department has had eight two-person crews in the quarantined areas. But in mid-June it dispatched an additional team to handle residents' complaints and to survey nearby municipalities in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties, state entomologist Sven-Erik Spichiger said. The team will venture about a mile into Lehigh and Montgomery, including the Lehigh townships of Lower Macungie, Lower Milford, Upper Milford and the boroughs of Alburtis and Macungie.

Crews are targeting areas of high risk based on the paths the pests create when they lay eggs on trees, bricks, lawn furniture and recreational vehicles, Spichiger said.

"We feel it's a wise precaution," Spichiger said. "You never just want to stop and pretend you found it all," he said.

The state is committing $1.4 million to find and get rid of the inch-long black, red and white spotted pest. Native to China, India, Japan and Vietnam, it's an invasive species in Korea, where it has attacked 25 plant species that also grow in Pennsylvania.

Among its favorite hosts are grape vines, apple, pine and stone fruit trees as well as tree of heaven or paradise tree, an invasive species similar to sumac that can be found around parking lots or along tree lines.

In large numbers, spotted lanternflies can create weeping wounds of sap on tree trunks, the buildup of sugary secretions and large fungal mats. Such damage, in turn, can attract wasps, hornets, bees and ants.

The state's grape, fruit tree and hardwood industries produce sales of approximately $178.5 million annually. Pine and hardwood logging in Pennsylvania also accounts for $12 billion in sales.

The egg masses have now hatched, and tree bands are being installed at the bottom of the tree of heaven to catch nymphs.

At this time of year, the fourth instar nymphs are quite recognizable, with their bright red color with white spots. Spichiger said he expects them to become adults soon, at which point they will begin focusing on tree of heaven.

Since the beginning of May, members of the community, in addition to experts, have volunteered to install tree bands on their properties and provide counts every two weeks.

Spichiger said the department is still accepting volunteers, but it is preferred that those who volunteer live closer to the Berks County line so they can keep tree banding in non-infected areas to a minimum.

The quarantine in effect restricts the movement of any material or object that can spread the pest. That includes firewood, wood products, bush or yard waste, construction debris, packing materials, decorative grapevines and outdoor machinery such as lawn mowers.

Businesses in the quarantine area must obtain a certificate of limited permit from the state to move materials that might contain the insect. Failure to do so could lead to criminal and civil penalties of up to $20,000 and prison time, the state says.

The areas targeted in Montgomery County since June include Douglass and Upper Hanover townships, Pennsburg, East Greenville and Gilbertsville. In Berks: Longswamp, Colebrookdale, Oley, Maxatawny, Richmond townships and Fleetwood, Boyertown and Topton.

In addition, the department has been surveilling all area commercial vineyards, including those in Lehigh and Montgomery counties, since early May.

At one of these vineyards, Vynecrest Vineyards and Winery in Breinigsville, owner John Landis said the traps have not turned up any spotted lanternflies. From now on, it's a waiting game, both for the pest to show up and for recommendations on how to control it.

"I've got my fingers crossed," Landis said.

An inspector from the department visited Darvin Levengood's winery, Manatawny Creek Winery in Douglassville, a few days ago, looking for the pest's favorite trees.

No spotted lanternflies have been found on his property, but then again, neither has information about treating the insects if they do show up — which insecticides to use, which traps to set, etc.

On its website, the department acknowledges that those are questions that "still need to be answered," and that it is working with local groups and the U.S. Forest Service to test the effectiveness of a variety of pesticides and trapping mechanisms in eliminating the spotted lanternfly.

The fuss about the spotted lanternfly reminds Levengood of the brown stink bug scare from a few years ago, which his winery dealt with without major problems.

"Whether this thing is going to be similar, who the heck knows?" he said.

SPOTTING THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY

The state Department of Agriculture is encouraging all residents to watch for the spotted lanternfly. The department suggests the following:

If you see eggs: Scrape them off the tree or smooth surface, double bag them, and throw them in the trash or place the eggs in alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill them.

If you collect a specimen: Turn the adult specimen or egg mass in to the department's entomology lab for verification. First, place the sample in alcohol or hand sanitizer in a leak-proof container.

If you take a photo: Submit photos of adults or egg masses to badbug@pa.gov.

If you see a site: Call the Bad Bug hotline at 1-866-253-7189 with details of the site and your contact information.

•Submitting a specimen: Submit to the department in Harrisburg or any one of six regional offices, as well as to county Penn State Extension offices.